Bartram Trail in October

There is no more beautiful time to hike in the southern Appalachians than October. The crisp air, changing colors, falling leaves, and clear views, all combine to create some of the best hiking conditions of the year. Here are some pics from a little jaunt I took on the Bartram Trail today from Jones Gap to Whiterock mountain. I hope you enjoy them.

Dutch Oven Pineapple Express

This is a little variation on my Brown Apple Betty that I like to make when we go camping. Instead of apples it uses canned peaches and pineapple and can be baked in either a 10 or 12 inch Dutch oven.

Before leaving the house, mix together the following dry ingredients and place in a big ziplock bag:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup oats
3/4 cup flour
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg


When you are ready to cook, drain the syrup and juice from the cans of fruit and spread evenly on the bottom of the Dutch oven. I use:
2-29oz cans peach halves in light syrup
2-15oz cans pineapple chunks in juice.

Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the top of the fruit.
Slice one stick of butter into 1/2 inch pieces and place evenly around on the top.

Cover and bake with about 8 briquettes on the bottom and 13 on the top.
Cook for 45 minutes or so. The topping should be brown when it's done.

At home I serve it with ice cream, in camp I use whipped cream. (The canned stuff keeps just fine in an ice cooler). Either way it's delicious!

The Bartram Trail / Wallace Branch

It's all honey thick sweetness living in southern Appalachia when it comes to hometown hiking.

The Wallace Branch trail head of the Bartram Trail is a short couple miles away from my front door.

Eleven miles up the Bartram is Wayah Bald on the Appalachian Trail. At that point, if I turn and 

follow the white blazes north, I will end on top of Mt. Katahdin in Maine in roughly  two thousand and fifty miles. 

It can be a constant temptation, believe me.

Cades Cove Weekend

Black Betty and I are home from a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend camping trip to Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I figured that the crowds would be gone (they were) and the camping would be sweet. It was a rare opportunity to enjoy the Cove without having to experience the horrible traffic-choked nightmare that the loop has become during peak season. The campground was also sparsely populated, creating a quiet and peaceful campsite.

We awoke to heavy frosts on Saturday and Sunday mornings with temps in the 20's. The little pop-up was pretty chilly, the only warm place around was deep inside our sleeping bags. It made for some great camp fire time, though.  The stars were spectacular in the night sky and I was treated to a couple of the quietest nights that I've experienced since my AT hike. What a great setting to enjoy eating our Thanksgiving left-overs in. Mmmm pie!

Black Betty told me that it was all worth it (speaking of the cold) as we watched 2 bear cubs and their momma dig for grubs while they sauntered through the  chilly woods on Sunday morning. She was right!

Wallace Branch Hike

It's all honey thick sweetness living in southern Appalachia when it comes to hometown hiking.

The Wallace Branch trail head of the Bartram Trail is a short couple miles away from my front door.

Eleven miles up the Bartram is Wayah Bald on the Appalachian Trail. At that point, if I turn and 

follow the white blazes north, I will end on top of Mt. Katahdin in Maine in roughly  two thousand and fifty miles. 

It can be a constant temptation, believe me.

Hometown Hiker's Hometown is new AT Community

Franklin receives AT Community designation


From the Macon County News

The Town of Franklin has received designation as an Appalachian Trail Community. A proclamation will be signed declaring Franklin the first Southern Region Appalachian Trail Community on Tuesday, Mar. 23.



Hikers are already beginning to trickle into Franklin as they make their way along the Appalachian Trail. Now, with the town’s designation as an Appalachian Tail Community, more people will realize Franklin’s close proximity to the trail and the town’s willingness to accommodate hikers.

The Town of Franklin applied for status as an Appalachian Trail Community last year through the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. Macon County is unique in having 47 miles of the Appalachian Trail within county limits. It is estimated that 4 million people visit the trail each year, and Franklin is the second town that AT thru-hikers come to starting out in Georgia on the long walk to Maine.

The Appalachian Trail Community program is designed to act as a catalyst for enhancing economic development as well as engaging community residents as Appalachian Trail users and stewards. Bill Van Horn, president of the county’s Nantahala Hiking Club, said the idea is to foster the resource of the trail and the benefits of the visiting hikers.

“I would like some local businesses to see the advantage of having Franklin designated a Gateway Community,” said Van Horn last spring.

Following the designation ceremony, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy will begin publishing articles about Franklin and the other selected towns in a guide book for trail hikers. Participation in the program will also increase opportunities for teachers to use the trail as a learning lab for students.

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy, which has a southern regional office in Asheville, is a volunteer-based organization dedicated to the preservation and management of the natural, scenic, historic, and cultural resources associated with the Appalachian National Scenic Trail in order to provide primitive outdoor-recreation and educational opportunities for Trail visitors.